Port lockout taking toll on other businesses
FREMONT, Calif. - The only major vehicle production line west of the Mississippi shut down as the West Coast port shutdown began to burden shipping-dependent industries across the country.
The sole glimmer of hope came with word that dock workers' union representatives and shipping lines planned to resume federally mediated contract talks Thursday. The stalemate has stopped all commercial shipping at 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington state.

Business Briefs
Alaskan Winter Ale back for 2002 season; McDowell Group to celebrate 30th anniversary; Hummingbird Services to move to new location; Construction wages boosted

Looking back to the elders
Invitees to a Tlingit potlatch would dance for their host as they approached, said Ethel Makinen, a Sitka elder.Performers from the Naa Kahidi Dancers of Sitka sang and drummed softly in the shadows as she introduced them from the stage Sunday at the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Conference at Centennial Hall.

Stay the sword of war
President George W. Bush has requested authorization from Congress for a unilateral preemptive military attack on Iraq, with the object of overthrowing the government of that country. We look upon this circumstance with profound sorrow and dismay.

Postal service inadequate
I only get to the Federal Building post office once in a blue moon. Today was one of those days and to my surprise there was a TV screen with news blasting away and the screen was so that the one employee working could watch it. All other windows were closed. One other person was handling getting packages for people. It all moved at a snail's pace.

Curious students
Our fourth-grade class is studying the regions of the United States. We would like people to send us postcards showing us your state. It would be great if you could write a short note on it telling us about the different land forms and special places of interest your state has.

Get out and vote
This community should be very concerned with its recent deplorable voting record. Currently, there are 24,011 registered voters in Juneau. In all practicality, that number is probably more likely around 21,000 since the registered voter rolls haven't been updated for a while. Nevertheless, only 7,431 Juneauites bothered to vote in this past Tuesday's municipal election.

Opposes war in Iraq
The gay and lesbian issue seems to be a hot button for a lot of folks. I can only hope that the churches and locals who are so opposed to the Day of Silence are also engaged in the effort to create a peaceful and just solution in Iraq, as an alternative to waging war.

Register now
The Kids Voting program wants to remind young people who have recently turned 18 years of age and residents new to Alaska to be sure to register to vote for the general election.

Shooting bear was reasonable
I would like to respond to the article in the Oct. 2 newspaper about the police shooting the bear in Switzer Creek mobile home park.

Mom's the best
Last week, publisher Don Smith wrote some words about my mother that were untrue. He wrote that Frankie Pillifant was unable to compromise. Well, that's a lie if I ever saw one! One should not think that way about someone, put it in writing, and enclose it in a box and make thousands of copies and send them out to the citizens of Juneau.

Diplomacy first before attacking Iraq
Are we really prepared to again don the cloak of the Ugly Americans as we flex our might as the world's only superpower? Do we really want to destroy the unparalleled support our country enjoyed after the 9-11 tragedy by acting like a two-bit despot from a banana republic?

Hospice merges with Catholic social services
Hospice and Home Care of Juneau says it will merge with Catholic Community Service in an attempt to streamline services and cut costs.The nonprofits recently voted to make HHCJ a separate division of CCS, according to a joint press release.

Locations stay open for last-minute voter registration
Sunday at midnight is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election, and students at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School will be staffing booths around town all weekend signing people up.The Alaska Committee, the group dedicated to keeping the Legislature and the capital in Juneau, also is working to get Juneau residents registered so they can vote against Ballot Measure 2, which would move legislative sessions to the Mat-Su Borough.

New radio station brings more jazz, blues to town
A labor of love will bring more exposure to jazz and blues for some Juneau residents when KBJZ-FM, 94.1, goes on the air at midnight tonight.The station will be operated by Gastineau Broadcasting, a nonprofit organization incorporated in May 2000. It is one of 255 stations granted licenses by the Federal Communications Commission in December 2000 under a program aimed at creating more diversity in local radio programming.

Photo: Lights off for good
The neon light for Taco Time is shut off after the fast-food restaurant closed over the weekend. The business, at the corner of Seward and Front streets, was owned by Tracy and Eric Forst. Subway, recently sold to Wade Bryson, remains open.

City OKs bid for games
Juneau's bid to host the 2006 Arctic Winter Games will be in the mail soon.The Juneau Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution supporting Juneau's bid to host the winter sports competition and cultural gathering in 2006. The circumpolar games bring together about 2,000 competitors and spectators from Alaska, Canada, Russia and Greenland every two years.

Teacher role in Day of Silence questioned
The Juneau School Board did not take an official position on the Day of Silence at Tuesday's meeting, saying students are entitled to express themselves at school as long as that expression does not interfere with class.Board members did raise questions about whether it is appropriate for teachers to participate in the event during school hours, or give extra credit for students who are involved.

Students to compete in rocketry competition
Several Juneau-Douglas High School students plan to compete in a nationwide rocketry competition sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry this spring.Loren Parker, 18, a senior at JDHS, said he, Niel Steininger, 18, and David Liliedahl, 17, will participate in the competition if they are able to raise the $160 entry fee. The fee includes a handbook for making model rockets, an electronic altimeter, a computer design and flight simulation program and a copy of the "Handbook of Model Rocketry".

JDHS graduate gets promotion
President Bush signed an order on Sept. 12, promoting Todd Brooks to the grade of lieutenant colonel. in the United States Air Force Reserve. Brooks, 40, was born in Juneau and received his entire primary and secondary education in here. He graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1979, obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii in 1983, and a master of science degree from the University of Southern California in 1987.

Right conduct can ensure a better society
I watched the television with my family the other day. There was an action movie playing. The dialogue was excited. It was a steady stream of foul, crude epithets that shocked me as it reverberated off the walls of my home. Equally distressing was the fact that the "action" was very violent and "well depicted" maiming and bloodletting. When asked, my kids told me they had not paid attention to the foul language.

Photo: United Way thermometer
Volunteer Zach Ziegenfuss, puts the 2002 United Way Goal Thermometer in place at Costco. Other volunteers Niall Johnson, from left, Judy Baxter and Bob Head, help supervise the installation.

Thank you
We appreciate the election workers who staffed the polls for the Municipal Election on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and know there would be no election without them. The next time you see them, please say a special thank you to these Juneau residents who gave up their day to ensure we all can cast our ballot.

My Turn: Southeast needs to look at ferry system operations and funding
Southeast Conference was formed over 45 years ago as a citizen's advocacy group to lobby for the formation of the Alaska Marine Highway System. While the Conference's regional role has expanded into other economic and regional infrastructure development over the years, advocacy for an effective public marine transportation system remains a primary role.

Empire editorial: Local voter apathy boosts chances of capital move
Voter apathy in Juneau makes the capital move a greater possibility. The following scenario is offered for the benefit of the 12,000 voters who decided not to participate in last Tuesday's local election.Juneau's fate will be decided in 32 days as voters around the state weigh in on whether to move the Legislature to the Mat-Su Borough.

Cavs' gala preview a dud
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Cavaliers at least had pictures of their two new marquee players, Darius Miles and Ricky Davis, available on the cover of their media guide on Monday.Davis was a no-show and Miles arrived 95 minutes late for a media day that turned embarrassing for a team seeking to overcome the stigma of three consecutive 50-loss seasons.

Adult Volleyball League Standings
Here are the standings through Sept. 29 for the Juneau Department of Parks and Recreation men's and women's adult volleyball leagues.

Alaska High School Football Leaders
The individual high school football leaders in the state through games of Sept. 28, as compiled by the Anchorage Daily News. Statistics are for reported games only through Week 8.

Swimming siblings lead Juneau
For a large part of the Juneau-Douglas High School swim team, the sport is a family affair.The Kreuzensteins (Jake and Kaitlin), Hugheses (Aaron and Paul), Josephsons (Tom and Matt) and Potdevins (Kelsey and Weather) make up a large, vital part of this season's squad. Freshmen Holly and Tanya Trucano are on the Juneau diving team.

The Doubles Championships
Here are the championship match results from The Doubles Championships tennis tournament held Sept. 27-29 at the Valley location of JRC/The Alaska Club.

Cary goes from walk-on to starter at NAU
When Matt Cary went to college, one of his prime considerations in picking a school was he wanted was a chance to play football.Cary has turned that chance into a starting spot on the Northern Arizona University offensive line, where he plays left guard for the Lumberjacks. NAU (3-1), which plays in the Big Sky Conference with defending national champion Montana, is ranked No. 12 in The Sports Network Poll and No. 13 in the USA Today Poll for NCAA Division I-AA.

Alaska Swimming Top 16 Prep Times
Here are Alaska's top 16 times in each event for the 2002 high school swimming season. This list is compiled by Juneau-Douglas High School swim coach John Wray and is through meets of Sept. 28. It includes all reported meets.

Panel pushes for changes at DFYS
ANCHORAGE - An advisory panel says the state's child protection system should put more emphasis on families, streamline record keeping, hire more caseworkers and provide additional services including alcohol treatment and counseling.The 17-member commission was appointed by Gov. Tony Knowles in August to draft a recommendations for the next governor and Legislature.

Campaigning behind bars
Operating on a shoestring budget in an election where her party is struggling to maintain official status, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Diane Benson has spent much of her time talking with Alaskans who aren't allowed to vote.Benson, an Alaska Native who lives in Chugiak, visited the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau on Tuesday to speak with Native inmates about disparities in Alaska's prison system. During the election season, Benson also has visited the Fairbanks Correctional Center and spoken with prisoners in Palmer by phone.

Study: St. Lawrence residents have high levels of PCBs
ANCHORAGE - Residents of Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea show high levels of PCB contamination, according to a four-year study.The study, released Wednesday, found that Native hunting and fishing families who camp near a Cold War Air Force site on the island have nearly 10 times as many toxic PCBs in their blood as average Americans.

Sitka mayor loses to challenger
Sitka and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough will have new mayors soon.Incumbent Sitka Mayor Valorie Nelson trailed challenger Fred Reeder by 141 votes after Tuesday's city election. However, 313 absentee and questioned ballots are still to be counted.

Dems file complaint against senator
Democrats allege GOP candidate for governor Frank Murkowski is hiding thousands in campaign expenses by using credit cards.A Murkowski spokesman dismissed the complaint and said the campaign is preparing detailed records for the state agency overseeing candidate spending.

Task force advises state to subsidize prescription drugs
Alaska should join 34 other states in creating a program to subsidize the rising cost of prescription drugs to those in need, according to a state report issued Wednesday.The report was part of several recommendations from a task force Gov. Tony Knowles appointed in August to study the rising costs of such drugs to seniors and the disabled.

State to add up bill for DFYS proposals
ANCHORAGE - Gov. Tony Knowles has directed state agencies to figure out what it would cost to put in place the dramatically expanded services for troubled families that the Governor's Commission on Child Protection recommended this week.

Mediator tries to reopen ports as pressure for intervention increases
SAN FRANCISCO - West Coast dockworkers and shipping companies returned to the negotiating table today while business turned up pressure on the White House to intervene and end further economic damage caused by a lockout at all 29 ports."The president is going to have to do what he feels necessary. We're going to continue to focus on these negotiations and get ourselves a contract," Jim Spinosa, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said as he headed into the negotiating session.

USCG: Security measures a boon for Alaska
ANCHORAGE - The Coast Guard's increased emphasis on national security is good news for Alaska because it means more boats in the water and more emphasis on safety as well, the agency commandant said Thursday.Adm. Thomas H. Collins, head of the Coast Guard since May 30, said the agency's security mission does not diminish its traditional roles of search and rescue, marine safety, environmental protection and enforcement of fishing treaties.

Proposed ANWR compromise includes wilderness designation
ANCHORAGE - Congressional Republicans have offered to designate much of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness in an effort to open the coastal plain of the refuge to oil drilling, but Democrats are not impressed.Rep. Billy Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican, presented the idea Wednesday to House and Senate members trying to negotiate a compromise on a national energy bill.

Homer doc offers camera to swallow, peek at intestines
HOMER - At $1,800 a pop, you don't want to take two of these pills and call your doctor in the morning. But taking just one of them could save your life. A physician in the fishing town of Homer is offering the pill.It's not a vitamin, medicine or herbal remedy. The "M2A" is actually a still camera covered in a digestible capsule. Once swallowed, it travels through the digestive system and sends back images from the small intestine.

Anchorage pastor drives down cost of dying in the Bush
ANCHORAGE - It's more expensive to live in rural Alaska and it costs more to die there, too. The Rev. Charles Bridges says he's doing his part to lower the cost of caskets for the Bush, and claims he can cut by at least half what competing funeral homes offer for most burial-related services.

What's up with that?
Q: Why are the doors that go from the Federal Building lobby to the post office closed and locked up?

Alaska Positive 2002
Juneau photographer Michael Kelly took top honors in Alaska Positive, the biennial statewide photography exhibit sponsored by the Alaska State Museum.
Alaska Positive 2002 opens Friday with a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and the museum will remain open until 8 p.m. This fall the museum will continue the First Friday program, offering free admission and extended hours the first Friday of each month.

Letting a joke stand on its own
Comedian Steven Wright decided early on that swearing and off-color jokes would not play much of a part of his act."In the beginning I wanted a joke to get the laugh it deserved on the concept of it," he said. "I realized if you swore it would get more of a laugh for some reason. I also didn't want to build up material I couldn't do on regular television. I swear a little, maybe four or five times in 90 minutes."

Large heads top body of new work
Large heads and other curious endeavors are not genetic experiments gone awry. Juneau artists Nikki Morris and Patrick Ripp have spent the past two years preparing a body of work to showcase in an exhibit they're calling "Large heads and Other Curious Endeavors." About 18 of their paintings will be featured at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council gallery this month, including oversized portraits and landscapes conjured from dreams and travels.

Songwriter Tom May ties past to present in his music
Folk singer and songwriter Tom May reaches into the past for many of his songs, but he prefers to think of it as bringing the past forward.
"I try to tell a little about history in the songs and then also bring in the present in contrast, comparing the attitudes and situations then and now," he said. "History brought forward, I like to call it."

First Fridays offer evening of art at downtown galleries
Leah Sturgis has been bringing art to the people for the past year. Now she's working to bring people to the art.
Sturgis, who operates the gallery Rock Paper Scissors, has organized a series of exhibits she's calling First Fridays Art Walk. The event begins Friday, Oct. 4, in conjunction with the opening of exhibits at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Alaska State Museum. Receptions will be held at all three locations from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Steven Wright's Angle on the world
Steven Wright's official biography reads: I was born. When I was 23 I started telling jokes. Then I started going on television and doing films. That's still what I am doing. The end.
In truth, he is somewhat more complicated, but the deadpan tone and understated delivery are pure Steven Wright. The comedian, actor and Academy-Award winning writer brings his trademark comic timing and seemingly inexhaustible one-liners to Juneau on Friday, Oct. 4, for a performance at Centennial Hall.

Best Bets: Too many arts choices, too little time
Art is bursting out of the woodwork this weekend in Juneau. Friday evening offers an opportunity to take in a wealth of artwork. The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Alaska State Museum are opening new art exhibits, and after a long hiatus, KTOO once again is featuring the work of a local artist in the station.
Once or twice last winter, more by coincidence than planning, several galleries and the city and state museums held concurrent openings. Rather than competing, the result was a synergistic boost in energy and attendance that proved to be positive for everyone involved.